Quds Force Leader Qassem Soleimani’s Death Marks Huge Blow to Iranian Regime

Kristina Wong2 Jan 2020

Carafano argued that Soleimani’s death should be treated similarly to bin Laden’s. Trump designated the IRGC-Quds Force a foreign terrorist organization in April, essentially labeling Soleimani a terrorist leader.

“The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), led by Suleimani, was responsible for the deaths of more than 600 Americans in Iraq between 2003-2011, and countless more injured. He was a chief architect behind Iran’s continuing reign of terror in the region. This strike against one of the world’s most odious terrorists is no different than the mission which took out Osama bin Laden – it is, in fact, even more justifiable since he was in a foreign country directing terrorist attacks against Americans,” he said.

According to local reports, the U.S. airstrikes also killed Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the leader of the Badr Organization, one of Iraq’s most powerful Iranian-controlled Shia militia groups.

“It’s an incredible two-fer,” Smyth said. “This is another one of those old hands. These guys don’t grow on trees. It takes time.”

The U.S. airstrikes also reportedly killed the public relations chief for the umbrella group of Iran-controlled Shia militia in Iraq, the Popular Mobilization Forces, Mohammed Ridha Jabri, as well. Smyth said Jabri had some significance to the militia network as a spokesman, but his death would not be of the same significance as Soleimani or al-Muhandis.

As for what to expect next, Smyth said a response could come in many forms and in different places and perhaps not be even recognized as a response. But he pushed back against the notion that the U.S. started a war with Iran with the death of Soleimani

Iran has been at war with the United States since the Islamic Revolutionary regime took power in Tehran in 1979. To say that we are going to war or that this is yet another American escalation — I think we need to be a little more detailed,” he said

He said over the past year, Kata’ib Hizballah, was launching rockets and mortars at Americans in Iraq and eventually killed one.

“Over the past couple of years we’ve had a number of issues in the Gulf, we’ve had a number of issues in different countries, we’ve had international terrorism issues, you name it, you can throw everything at the wall, and the Iranians have in some way been behind some of it. Even arm supplies to the Taliban … so this didn’t just appear in a vacuum because ‘we didn’t like the Iranians,'” he said.

Carafano said going forward, the Trump administration must keep its maximum pressure strategy in place.

“What the administration must offer now is firm diplomacy backed by the continuing, credible threat of the use of military force. President Trump has wisely shown that he will act with the full powers of his office when American interests are threatened, and the extremist regime in Tehran would be wise to take notice,” he said.

https://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2020/01/02/quds-force-leader-qassem-soleimani-blow-iranian-regime/

we are looking at the face of evil

Flashback: Obama Sanctioned Soleimani for Attempted Terror Attack in Washington, D.C.

Qassem Soleimani, the Iranian general killed by U.S. forces at the direction of President Donald Trump on Thursday evening, was sanctioned by the Obama administration in 2011 for his role in a foiled terror attack on Washington, D.C.

Soleimani, leader of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds force, helped plot the attack on a popular restaurant in the nation’s capital, where the target was to be the Saudi ambassador to the U.S

As the U.S. Treasury explained in announcing the sanctions against Soleimani and four others in 2011:

The U.S. Department of the Treasury today announced the designation of five individuals, including four senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) officers connected to a plot to assassinate the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the United States Adel Al-Jubeir, while he was in the United States and to carry out follow-on attacks against other countries’ interests inside the United States and in another country. As part of today’s action, Treasury also designated the individual responsible for arranging the assassination plot on behalf of the IRGC-QF.

As IRGC-QF Commander, Qasem Soleimani oversees the IRGC-QF officers who were involved in this plot. Soleimani was previously designated by the Treasury Department under E.O. 13382 based on his relationship to the IRGC. He was also designated in May 2011 pursuant to E.O. 13572, which targets human rights abuses in Syria, for his role as the Commander of the IRGC-QF, the primary conduit for Iran’s support to the Syrian General Intelligence Directorate (GID).

The IRGC-QF is the Government of Iran’s primary foreign action arm for executing its policy of supporting terrorist organizations and extremist groups around the world. The IRGC-QF provides training, logistical assistance and material and financial support to militants and terrorist operatives, including the Taliban, Lebanese Hizballah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command.

IRGC-QF officers and their associates have supported attacks against U.S. and allied troops and diplomatic missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. The IRGC-QF continues to train, equip and fund Iraqi Shia militant groups – such as Kata’ib and Hizballah – and elements of the Taliban in Afghanistan to prevent an increase in Western influence in the region. In the Levant, the IRGC-QF supports terrorist groups such as Lebanese Hizballah and Hamas, which it views as integral to its efforts to challenge U.S. influence in the Middle East.

Under Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran, Soleimani was to be removed from international sanctions after eight years, though then-Secretary of State John Kerry promised that sanctions against Soleimani would be in place “forever.”

https://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2020/01/02/flashback-obama-sanctioned-soleimani-for-attempted-terror-attack-in-washington-d-c/

Flashback: During Obama Administration, John McCain Asked if Qassem Soleimani Would ‘Pay a Price’

Soleimani is the one who has been exporting malign activities throughout the Middle East for some time now,” Odierno said. “He’s absolutely responsible for killing many Americans, in fact I would say the last two years I was there the majority of our casualties came from his surrogates, not Sunni or Al Qaeda

The report also quotes now retired Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford — who served in the position from after the publication of this August 2015 Fox News report until the end of September 2019 — as saying Soleimani has killed as many as 500 Americans.

“The number has been recently quoted as about 500. We weren’t always able to attribute the casualties we had to Iranian activity, although many times we suspected it was Iranian activity even though we didn’t necessarily have the forensics to support that,” Dunford said under questioning from Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) during his U.S. Senate confirmation hearing that year when asked about how many Americans were killed by Soleimani.

In response to the Fox News report, Sen. McCain tweeted about whether Soleimani would ever “pay a price” for what he has done and for violating U.S. sanctions.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/01/02/flashback-during-obama-administration-john-mccain-asked-qassem-soleimani-would-pay-price/

Marco Rubio Hits Left’s ‘Stupid’ Impeachment Games: Senate Has ‘No Duty’ to Go Beyond House Witnesses

“A Senate trial will be on the two Articles of Impeachment passed by House (if Speaker ever decides to send them over),” he continued, noting that the House voted on the articles “based on testimony of certain witnesses.”

Because of that, the “Senate has no duty to go beyond those witnesses in our trial,” Rubio concluded:

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/01/02/marco-rubio-hits-lefts-stupid-impeachment-games-senate-has-no-no-duty-to-go-beyond-house-witnesses/

Samples of headlines from Breitbart, Dems in response to the President taking down a terrorist that vowed to destroy America, we should compare to the headlines hen Hussein “killed” Bin Laden and dropped into the sea

Biden Triggered by Soleimani Death

Trump ‘Tossed a Stick of Dynamite into a Tinderbox’

Nervous: ‘this is a hugely escalatory move in an already dangerous region’

Democrat Chris Murphy Complains About Soleimani Attack 2 Days After Calling Trump ‘Impotent’ on Iran

Booker: ‘I Do Not Have Great Confidence’ in Trump’s Foreign

John Cusack: ‘Trump in Full Fascist Mode, Steal and Lie and Start a War’

Obama Aide Ben Rhodes: Death of Iran’s Soleimani ‘A Really Fright

Ben Rhodes: Trump’s Middle East Policy Is ‘Schizophrenic’

Dem Sen. Murphy: Assassination of Soleimani ‘Very Dangerous Moment’ with ‘Potentially Grave Complications’

https://www.breitbart.com/

Breaking Report: Before U.S. Drone Strike, Fears Soleimani Was in Iraq to Lead Coup, Arrest President Salih and Takeover U.S. Embassy

Avatar by Kristinn Taylor January 2, 2020 308 Comments

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A report by Al Hurra reporter Steven Nabil shows that sources close to the Iraqi government said to him hours before the U.S. attack that killed Iran Quds Force leader Major General Qassem Soleimani as he arrived at the Baghdad airport–reportedly from Syria–that there were fears in the Iraqi government that Soleimani was going to lead a coup and overthrow the government, arrest President Barham Salih and takeover the U.S. embassy.

“What if the strikes were meant to stop a plan, this morning I was hearing from trusted sources close to the government leadership that they were worried of an Iranian backed plan by the Militias and Sulaimani to seize power and arrest the president and declare a new Iraqi norm.”

One since deleted translation read, “Because Iranian militias and leaders are present, intending a coup and the elimination of important governmental, military and party figures. At the head of the list is Barham Salih, under the charge of working for America. Their plan is to withdraw all their military units and declare a people’s government on this basis while they control the branches of government and give a deadline for the American embassy to withdraw its employees.”

Another since deleted translation reads, “The image says: The militias and the Iranian leaders want to overthrow and kill Iraqi big officials and parties leaders, and military leader ms. Barham Salih is on the top of the list. Their plan is to seize power in Iraq, giving the U.S embassy a time-limit to withdraw

Hopefully this translation will stay up, “The source say:Iran and its agents in Iraq are planing to perform cope against Iraqi gov.and they will assassinate and arrest the president and gov.members and will attack usa forces.”

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/01/breaking-report-before-u-s-drone-strike-fears-soleimani-was-in-iraq-to-lead-coup-arrest-president-salih-and-takeover-u-s-embassy/